Search

Note: Yes, it has been awhile but this blog is and always will be in my mind. You will soon see why I’ve stayed away for so long.

I love the written word. I remember, that as soon as I learned my ABC’s, I would “read” a magazine and say every letter of an article out loud to anyone who cared to listen. When I did learn to read for real, I read every chance I could. Scarcity of children’s books in my home – we didn’t have enough money and there were no libraries around – made reading even more enticing.

When I was 12, my grandparents finished building their dream home just in time for their 50th anniversary. It was a big celebration and most of my family traveled from Mindanao to Luzon to visit my grandparents. What I loved most about that house was an area beneath the stairs, full of books – including a collection of hard bound books written for young adults, of biographies and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. In a time when there was no Google, I was introduced to diverse historical figures such as Helen Keller and John Quincy Adams. That place looked so magical then that years later, when I visited as an adult who has traveled extensively, I couldn’t believe how small and unimpressive that space was.

I mention these because I have been in a state of indecision, particularly with what I want to do as a career. Recent motherhood and the economics of childcare vs. two working parents, have definitely factored into the decision-making. Having co-founded a startup and with a fresh MBA, I always thought that it is in my best interest to work for a big corporate firm to further my skills and to experience working in such an environment. Other than the fact that I only perfunctorily job-hunted, I was having second thoughts with this grand plan. Is that what I really want to do? Do I really want to abandon my daughter every weekday to an almost stranger so I can work 9-5 at a job I may not enjoy, end up disliking and get paid below market because of my relative inexperience? Never mind that I work hard and smart (this is not me blowing my own horn, this is actually from several feedback sessions with former teammates)?

With the help of D. and other family members, I brainstormed on what I love and three things consistently came up: technology, fashion and writing. Unfortunately, searching for job boards out there, we couldn’t find one that says: “If you love technology, fashion and writing, then come work for us.” Or at least, it’s not as clear cut. During one of my brainstorming sessions while nursing (of course, when do you think I have time to do this?), I realized that I will create that job. I am in a financial position, thanks to D., to be free to do what I want and still care for my daughter. I’m already writing, thanks to this blog. What I needed though is definition: what should I write about exactly? The result of that is: www.quiddityof.com.

quid·di·ty

noun: quiddity

the inherent nature or essence of someone or something.

a distinctive feature; a peculiarity.

plural noun: quiddities

“his quirks and quiddities”

Watching the video above only solidified my resolve. Fashion and technology are my interests and writing is my passion. It is time to face that head-on and start – no more excuses, especially when I am gifted with a financial freedom such as this. Though at some point (working on this), I do plan to make money out of it 😊

If you have followed me here on my personal journey, I hope that you will also follow me on my professional journey. I will be keeping this as a journal of sorts, while I write about technology and fashion on Quiddity. If you enjoy my writing, feel free to share it, comment on it – whether it’s just to cheer me on or provide some feedback.

Yep, another city (or cities), another set of adventures. And in the course of finishing Module A in a 1-year MBA, visiting the Philippines (Manila, Boracay and Mindanao) over 10 days during the holidays; and moving to California for Module B, I caught myself a nice, hardy bug. As in, I’ve been in one form or another sick, since December 25, 2012.

Not that my state of health is particularly relevant but I mention this because as I was preparing to fit our (D.’s and mine) worldly possessions in carry-on luggages and a postal box, I planned for San Francisco to be warmer than Boston. So no heavy coat and no tall boots (but for some reason, I brought my rainboots and it hasn’t rained at all). I was right in that regard and I do feel very lucky especially when I saw the freezing temperatures on the East Coast. But. I was horribly miserable the first week because of my cold. I was just cold, as in – put-me-under-several-blankets-with-a-beanie-on and-facing-the-heater cold.

I’m slowly recovering from a second bout of the flu but I did get a chance to appreciate the temperature and more importantly, San Francisco and Palo Alto, in general. I mean, this is where tech lives and breathes. Did I mention that I’m a huge Google fan and that I love tech in general? You can practically breathe in the startup atmosphere here.

As expected, the food here is just delicious. Almost a decade ago, I visited Napa Valley by myself. I still remember how fresh the food was, including airport food. That was the first time that I said maybe there’s hope for me and tomatoes, after all.

And the coffee. For a coffee-lover like me who goes for quality, rather than quantity, living here is heaven. One notable cafe is Philz Coffee. It’s supposed to be popular among startups but I was a little skeptical until I had my first taste. Let’s just say, I understand why they get to be in Facebook HQ.

“So, let me get this straight, you have a Facebook account and an ASW account, both social networks? But why?”

I was incredulously asked that question yesterday. I had to pause and consider the answer. D. answered for me, that Facebook is to connect with people that I already know and ASW is to meet people.

In truth, there’s more to it than that. Faced with seeming criticism and the unvoiced question of “You have time to do all these?”, I failed to mention that I also have a LinkedIn account, Twitter, answer questions and vote answers at Quora, curate fashion at Boutiques, keep this blog at WordPress, another tech blog at Posterous, used to have a Tumblr account (unattended), and numerous other things that I signed up for: Hunch, Plinky, Popplet, and Path to name a few.

As for time, well, as the main market and trends researcher of all things tech and startups in our own startup, I had the luxury of doing all of these on workdays. Although, as my role expanded, I have had to use my personal time to keep all of these running and active. And that’s where the not-watching-TV helps. The critics of time-sucking social networks fail to see that the most active people on social networks tend not to watch TV (unsubstantiated, yes, but only because I couldn’t find the link to that article) which is a bigger time-sucker. Also, they overlook the power of smart phones – I’ve written a lot of my posts in my Iphone while waiting in line, at the doctor’s office or at the Metro – and the mobility and spontaneity that it provides. I can justify the use of my networks as such:

Facebook is for keeping connected with friends and family in different countries and cities

Twitter is to get real-time updates on news and for annoying brands and services into action